


Breaking Free of the Past

by leveldevil



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, Drama, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-19 10:29:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5964016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leveldevil/pseuds/leveldevil
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“The past could bind a man as surely as irons”, someone once said. Basch and Balthier realize that, in order to bring about their future, they both need to face their pasts… And perhaps help for such task may be found in the most unlikely place: each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mt. Bur-Omisace

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hello there! I started this story around 2014, when I replayed the game and decided to do something more for this pairing. I stopped it, however – and only now finished it. Having said that, I apologize for any inconsistency related to characterization or wording, since one third of the story is old while the remaining two thirds are relatively fresh.
> 
> The story is complete, but I’ll be adding chapters separately – it became too long to be an one-shot piece. The chapters are named after the places visited in the game, and it follows the game storyline up until the end – and a bit more, but that’s entirely from my head. Any relevant notes for each chapter will be added to their respective pages.
> 
> Construtive criticism is always welcome!

The night sky of Mt. Bur-Omisace was quite a sight: the protection granted by the Gran Kiltias to the whole place extended as far as to the weather, making the summit of the mountain permanently sunny. The absence of heavy clouds allowed for a particularly clear sky once the sun had set, full of stars and which were not hidden by tall buildings or other similar constructions as it was the case in Dalmasca or Archades.

Being a sky pirate, it should come as no surprise that Balthier loved looking at it; however, since he found himself dragged in the whole mess of Princess Ashelia's affairs, they had been inside airships, locked in dungeons, inside mines and camping in open areas when traversing deserts and plains - so one could not afford to long for the stars in such locations, always alert at the presence of enemies or fiends - but there, for the first time in a long while, they were safe. They could effectively relax.

They had been given simple accommodations by the Gran Kiltias - with the great number of refugees from the war seeking protection there, it was understandable that only Ashe and Larsa had been invited to rest at the shrine, leaving the rest of the party to share the barracks like many of the people living there did every day. Fran and Penelo took one, and Vaan, Basch and Balthier were assigned another. However, despite needing to sleep in order to travel to the Stilshrine of Miriam the following day, the sky pirate couldn't bring himself to fall into deep slumber.

Would Ashe really give up her ambition concerning nethicite? Somehow, Balthier could only muster little faith in the princess' words and resolution; he had seen how eager she was to obtain such power, and the news of Emperor Gramis' death and the certain conflict that would follow at Vayne's hands did nothing to diminish his doubts. Despite arguing he was just there to see how the events would unfold, Balthier now was strongly hoping to influence Ashe somehow or upright prevent her from taking more drastic measures.

He had been alone, sitting in an empty area close to the stairs which lead to the upper level and to the path that would eventually reach the main shrine. He heard footsteps in the dark but his eyes, already used to the lack of light but that from the stars, were quick to recognize the figure approaching due to its peculiar size and weight.

"Can't bring yourself to rest either, captain?"

"Aye. Vaan snores as loud as a pig. And I am not usually one to complain, given how used a soldier becomes to sharing barracks with a good number of really tired men," Basch smiled thinly, moving up to where Balthier was and proceeding to sit down, although he stopped in the middle of his actions, "Would you mind my company?"

"Not at all," replied the thief, smiling broadly in contrast to the knight's more controlled nature, "I believe I have been alone with my thoughts for enough time. Thinking too much has never brought me good fortune."

Basch seemed to analyze the words, searching for hidden meanings there and finding none, finally sitting down; they were both silent for a while, and eventually the older man raised his head, looking up at the sky and sharing Balthier's apparently favorite landscape for the moment. "Have you had any news from the shrine?"

"No," Balthier shook his head, shifting his gaze towards the knight at his side who was obviously interested in the princess' well-being, "We best take our leave by morning, because someone is surely coming to fetch Larsa... And I would loathe to be in the presence of more judges and imperials."

"I share your feelings," Basch agreed, and then he too turned to face his companion, "Tell me, Balthier. Did you... Did you know something about the late emperor and chose not to tell us? Because earlier, when we were about to reach Mt. Bur-Omisace... You were surprisingly harsh to Lord Larsa."

The younger man paused, recalling their earlier hours and what precisely he had said to Larsa; a small, humorless smile crept up on his features, followed by a nonchalant sound. "I am hardly omniscient, Basch. I had no idea of the political situation in Archades and I try to keep as far as I can from their business. I do know, however, something about family issues," his gaze hardened a bit and he saw the knight recoiling slightly, startled from the sudden turn in their conversation "A subject that is not unfamiliar to you as well, I presume."

"...No.", Basch replied eventually, letting out a small and pained sigh, though the emotion was barely noticeable for one not paying close attention, "You have met Gabranth before, the day you freed me from Nalbina. The fact that I am a Dalmascan knight and he is an Archadian judge is more than enough evidence."

"True," the pirate nodded, his voice neutral. He had witnessed the conversation between Basch and his twin before Fran dropped his cage to the ground and allowed their escape from the dungeon. Despite Basch's unkempt appearance, the facial resemblance was hard to miss, "I lack an evil twin brother, but I have had my share of problems where blood relations are concerned."

The captain noted how Balthier refused to give more details, and politely declined to press for more. He sighed, turning his head to the sky once more and sharing a few minutes of complete silence with the other man, but eventually he spoke up again, "Your trust does not come easy," he observed with a small smile, unable to refrain from comparing Balthier with himself - where the sky pirate took his time before trusting someone, Basch had already made the mistake of blindly following the wrong man before, "Perhaps I should learn something from that."

"You would be terribly lonely, captain."

"You have Fran."

"But I walked alone for some time until we met. And even after that, I did not place my trust on her so quickly," Balthier offered the explanation, surprising himself as he did so. His expression changed and his eyes softened, a smile lighting up his unusually stern face that night. Basch, of course, noted such difference.

"Are you and Fran...", he paused and then seemed to rethink his words, something that made the sky pirate grin widely; he obviously enjoyed causing some discomfort in his friends. "What is your relationship with Fran?"

"Bravo, captain. For a second, I thought your gentlemanship would keep you from asking." Balthier grinned and, despite the intimate nature of the question, he was indeed amused. The more tanned man ran his fingers across his shirt's cuffs, cleaning them from dust in his very distinctive manner and turning his head to face the knight at his side: he looked almost... Embarrassed?

"You need not answer, Balthier. I was..."

"Fran and I are soulmates," the younger man replied with ease, chuckling at Basch's surprised expression. He leaned back, supporting his weight on his arms, and looked up to the sky once more, "We have the same desires; we both long for freedom and our pursuit cost us our pasts."

Basch nodded solemnly. Just a couple of days ago, they had visited the Eyrut Village, home to the viera, and the entire party had seen how troubling it was for them to accept the idea of a viera living among humes. Fran no longer had a family, and the wood did not welcome her anymore; although Basch had lost his home country and then his adoptive one after that, he still managed to find solace among equals - something Fran would never be able to do again.

"I see," the older man replied at length, his voice grave and thoughtful. Balthier knew his travelling companion had been thinking about his words and about what he saw in Fran's homeland, most assuredly. He was not, however, expecting the next words from the captain, "I no longer hope for such love and companionship in my future. In fact, if I see Dalmasca restored one day, I shall think my purpose in Ivalice fulfilled."

"Love?" Balthier inquired back, then laughed when he realized the implication of his earlier words. The sky pirate was quick to gesture with both hands, signaling he meant no disrespect to the other man's confession and threw his body back to a regular sitting position, "You misunderstand me, Basch. When I say Fran is my soulmate, I mean that we are very similar at our cores and sometimes I feel as if we could have been one single creature. But we have no romantic inclinations toward each other."

That surprised Basch: the look on the captain's face was enough to make Balthier grin widely again, obviously amusing himself at the expense of the other man. He raised one hand and tapped gently on the knight's shoulder, almost as if apologizing to have mislead him into such assumptions.

"I honestly thought... I mean... Even the children..."

"Ah, yes. I imagine most of you must have drawn such conclusions. After all, a pair of sky pirates, one dashing leading man like myself and a beautiful, elegant viera like Fran... We certainly must look fetching."

"Balthier, you are one..."

"Devilish handsome man. Thank you captain, I am quite aware." Basch gave up and just laughed, feeling the tension between them evaporating. While he certainly had blushed from embarrassment earlier, the way Balthier conducted their conversation subdued any awkwardness that could potentially be installed between them, "Also infuriating, irksome and prone to evading the subject at hand on an extremely consistent basis, or so I have been told."

"Charming personality traits, no doubt."

"Well, the women certainly love to think they can redeem a man like me. You, on the other hand, would be a simple job for them, since you present so many qualities already," Balthier grinned, then drew one leg up and hugged it, remaining in that casual position while Basch was still sitting upright, very soldier-like, "And that is precisely why my relationships with them never last: I do not want to be tamed. But I would be willing to bet all the bounty on my head on a lifelong marriage for you, my dear captain."

"I'd like that," Basch said, smiling to himself before adding, "But I'd have liked that back when I was an honorable knight, perhaps still living in Landis... But today I cannot possibly bind someone else's fate to my tainted reputation."

The sky pirate was visibly taken by surprise. He knew the soldier blamed himself for King Raminas' death, for Ashe's struggles, for Reks' early demise, for the shame his alleged fame as kingslayer brought to his travelling partners - where Balthier lost no time mourning over past disgraces, his companion certainly provided more than enough remorse for at least a party of ten people. His determination was unshakeable, of course, but the sorrow cemented within him was astonishingly profound.

"Well, you are lucky to have me then," the tanned man replied eventually, offering a smile, "I already have a bounty on my head, after all. My reputation is hardly something to vouch for and it was entirely ruined by myself."

Basch had to chuckle then; Balthier's smile was broad and proud, mirroring the offhanded support his words offered behind their usual playful nature. The captain sighed, his lips still curved slightly upwards when he reached for the other man, placing his heavy and calloused hand on the sky pirate's shoulder and squeezing him gently.

"Thank you, Balthier," he said and moved to stand up, dusting his clothing off and then bowing slightly, "As I said, I know your trust is not easily gained. I appreciate you making an exception."

"I recall no exceptions, captain. You see, when you free a thin, hungry kingslayer twin from his cage and he manages to stay alive battling fiends despite being weak and unarmed... Well, you keep a close eye on him. You had your trials and you conquered them, Basch. The merit is yours."

The taller man was speechless then, visibly surprised by Balthier's undisguised praise of his character and moral strength. The knight could tell that their initially distrustful relationship had evolved to something much deeper, and perhaps they had only realized that now. Basch may have never considered the thought of working alongside a criminal when he was younger, but neither had Balthier predicted the day he would be following the agenda of a royal member of the Dalmascan line and fighting for honorable goals.

"Good night, Balthier. You'd best rest while you can."

"Aye, captain. Good night to you too."


	2. Phon Coast

The Hunters' Camp at Phon Coast was a destination Balthier had not visited in a long time; he and Fran were no strangers to the club of experienced and savvy hunters who often had knowledge of difficult marks and offered rare bounties for them, which was precisely what had drawn the pair of sky pirates to the camp in previous pursuits. However, they had had no reason to go back after a couple of marks of interest.

It was also the more welcoming place for resting since they had departed from Rabanastre, intent on reaching Archades. They had crossed Archadian borders earlier that day and witnessed an imperial ship go by right above them, cruising blue skies: they had done right to go by land. The landscape was certainly pretty and the weather was indeed pleasant, much better than the humid heat filled with nasty insects from the Salikawood.

Balthier removed his sandals and rolled up his trousers, doing the same to his white shirt after disposing of the gold and black vest. He looked like a proper pirate now, walking barefoot on clear sand and steering clear from Vaan and Penelo's antics - the children were playing in the water and he was sure he would be dragged into the sea if he let his guard down. The princess had rented an entire barrack for her and she had not been seen since then - he had a feeling she was pondering over their earlier conversation, the first time he openly talked about his past life and family.

"Balthier?"

The tanned man needed not turn around; the grave, concerned voice of the knight was hard to mistake for anyone else's and he merely smiled, stopping his leisure walk and letting Basch keep up with him. He too had removed his shoes, but no other changes were noticeable. Truth to be told, his clothing was already fitting for warmer climates and sometimes the sky pirate wondered why he dressed so similarly to a Bhujerban.

"Avoiding the water play of the children as well?"

"They know best than try to splash me... Although I think Fran intimidates them more," he conceded, smiling a little. The younger man had to agree - the scariest member of their party was the viera, specially after the mist-induced frenzy they had all witnessed; the captain, while stiff and polite, was far more approachable in his humanity.

"So what brings you to me, captain? If I may venture a guess, I'd say you have been made privy to a particular conversation I had with the princess this morning."

Although Balthier's tone carried no accusation, Basch actually stopped walking and blushed lightly under the afternoon sun. The pirate had never seen the other man like that, not even when he had put himself into uncomfortable situations by accident - such as the time they talked at Mt. Bur-Omisace. That made the younger man grin wickedly before dismissing any potential apology from Basch with a wave of his hand, resuming his walk towards the generous shade of a couple of palm trees.

"I... Did not know it was supposed to be kept secret."

"What I disclosed to your queen was not confidential, nor was her silence a condition... And even if it was a secret, the one at fault would be your royal highness," he smiled before adding, "But I figured she would go through the subject with her most trusted advisor."

"I am no such thing," Basch promptly replied, watching when Balthier lowered himself to the ground and stretched his long, tanned legs over the white sand. With his trousers rolled up like that, it was easy for the soldier to see that the sky pirate and the sun were indeed close friends where his acquaintances were the sharp edges of blades, "I merely wish to atone for my sins and restore the dreams of many innocent people."

"Still a trusted advisor from my point of view. The fact that you remain her sword and shield even after being slapped, blamed and mistreated by your sovereign is proof of your undying loyalty. She would be a fool not to trust you with these matters."

Basch could not find words to reply to that; instead he sighed and sat down, making himself comfortable against the palm tree as Balthier had just done. The pirate seemed entirely at home there, sitting at the beach and enjoying the cool shade of the tree, and the knight was jealous of his carefree and easygoing attitude sometimes.

"You think me a fool, Balthier?"

The younger man turned his head, observing his companion; Basch's blue gaze was troubled, but every bit as mesmerizing as the clean ocean just ahead of them. Sorrow, Balthier noticed, outlined the captain's tragic beauty. He strongly believed that happiness was unattainable for him and yet did not despair at the idea as certainly many would have done.

"No, not a fool. Blind, perhaps, but not anymore. One cannot stay in the darkness forever after so many betrayals."

"Was it the pain of betrayal for you, too? That made you see the truth?"

Basch turned too, capturing the perfectly surprised expression on the sky pirate's face. He masked his feelings well behind a wall of sarcastic remarks and easy smiles, but after hearing his story from Ashe, he had no doubts about the fact that he, too, was a jaded man: but where the Dalmascan knight held tightly on faith, the pirate had given up on anything but himself and freedom.

"And here I thought your tongue couldn't match the sharpness of your blade," Balthier replied eventually, curving up his lips in his trademark smirk. He leaned back against the palm tree, his gaze on the horizon as he listened to the seagulls cawing, one free hand drawing patterns on the sand right next to his leg, "But you are equally talented at both swordsmanship and blunt conversations."

"Objectiveness is a trait highly praised in the army. I would not have been made captain otherwise and you certainly would never make anything beyond a simple foot soldier."

"Sarcastic, too. My my captain, you are full of surprises."

"I am afraid that the sarcasm is on you, my friend. My colleagues and acquaintances were not as skilled at this art as you are," and despite their light banter, Basch eventually laughed. It was considerable rare to see and even hear it - the captain, always so serious and penitent, was not usually the one to joke or laugh. The sky pirate smiled in return, feeling a considerable amount of pride at the feat achieved.

"Well, I will take that as a compliment," Balthier said and the knight just grinned, almost child-like in that fleeting moment; however, as quickly as his laughter had come, it disappeared - and the younger man found himself with the sorrow-filled soldier, obviously expecting an answer from his earlier query. And while Balthier had never been the kind of person to take pity or indulge someone else than himself (and Fran), he found himself sighing and finally nodding, "Yes. Betrayal is a longtime friend of mine. My father... Wasted no time using me for his own selfish gains and losing family and sanity alike in the process."

"And yet we march to your father's laboratory. To the very city you ran away from."

Balthier bit his lower lip, but nodded; when he cut his ties to the past and changed his name and profession, he had avoided visiting Archades for a long time... But that journey was not the first to lead him back home, despite the lack of a warm welcome there.

"Archades is a cruel, vicious and manipulative place, but one I regularly visited while hunting for treasure. I am no stranger to it, even after severing my connections there."

"So you are indeed a brave man."

"How so?" Balthier inquired, once more turning in order to look at his companion - Basch was now gazing at him with something akin to admiration in his eyes, an emotion usually only Vaan reserved for him and his tales and stories aboard the Strahl. But the knight was his senior, an honorable and battle-scarred man who had no reason to hold a sky pirate in anything but contempt, "All a pirate does is running away."

"On the contrary: you have repeatedly faced the demons of your past and defeated them. After I left Landis, I... I never went back. And I still am far from ready to go back to my homeland," he explained, his face stern and serious and his voice above a mere whisper only, "It takes courage to leave anything behind, but even more to return to your past after so long."

That remark accomplished something that very few could boast doing so: it silenced Balthier. The sky pirate remained speechless for several seconds, watching the complex expression of his travelling companion and recognizing grief, shame and regret there, but tingled with a bit of hope. He had never seen himself as someone courageous, the way the ancient tales described heroes - but he supposed he only achieved that due to the company of Fran and, more recently, his other... Friends, as strange as that word on a plural form sounded to him.

"I am not alone, Basch. Perhaps neither should you be, on the day you decide to revisit your past... You know, I have always heard some stories about old treasure to be dug up in Landis."

The Dalmascan knight did not reply per se, but the way his hand reached for Balthier's shoulder and squeezed his flesh firmly was the only thanks the younger man needed.


	3. Imperial City of Archades

The moment Basch laid down on an inn bed in Archades, he could scarcely remember that they were at the heart of the Archadian Empire, with potential enemies at every corner and where the utmost care and precaution were needed; he could only feel the mattress, soft as a feather, and the magnificent support the pillow provided to his head, which had grown accustomed to rocks, ragged bags or clothing - sometimes only his own, tired arms. He had also properly washed for the first time in what felt like an eternity, after the tiring ordeals that the Tchita Uplands and the Sochen Cave Palace had been.

They had barely begun their crossing of the uplands when a band of coeurls circled them; Penelo was heavily injured after being raked by one of the courls and she had remained unconscious for a long period of time. That left the group short of one member to deal with multiple coeurls, serpents and malboros, and they only stopped for rest near a gate crystal. They carried on their journey and eventually accepted a hunt from an Archadian boy, welcoming the cool shade of the Sochen Cave Palace after the scorching sun of the uplands.

Penelo had recovered well and was back on the team, but while they now had refuge from the sun and plenty of water, traps spawned everywhere and wendigos and strikers usually were too heavy for the girls to fight back. But the worse part of their climb to Old Archades had been the hunt they accepted, and as far as Basch cared, he had seen enough of mandragoras for an entire lifetime.

Finally, they reached Archades. They were all tired, filthy and with clothing in desperate needing of repairs, save, perhaps, for the sky pirate duo - Fran did not wear much and Balthier was devilish quick on the battlefield, usually coming out looking rather well-kept. In Old Archades, however, they were far from standing out in the middle of the worn and pessimist population, all of them with crushed hopes and little faith concerning what the next day could bring.

With the help of Jules, apparently an old friend of Balthier (although 'friend' was a word Basch used rather loosely at this point), they sneaked into the Imperial City of Archades. The kids were mesmerized by the architecture and the clothes of the locals, Ashe was considerably worried and Fran displayed nothing on her face. Balthier, his accent now no longer sounding foreign once returned to his homeland, was the first one to suggest a good night of sleep.

The gil they had earned from previous hunts was enough to buy them good rooms at a respectable inn. Balthier brokered the deal and somehow obtained a discount, securing three chambers for them. Not trusting the city, Ashe asked for Fran to sleep with her as a bodyguard of some sorts, leaving Penelo to room with Vaan, like old times back in Rabanastre, and the older men together. However, the sky pirate had vanished as soon as Basch announced he was going to wash himself up, and he had not returned by the time the captain had changed into an old and loose fitting pair of pants, ready for sleep.

Despite the exhaustion of his body, the Dalmascan knight could not bring himself to sleep. He got up then, refusing to think that his behavior had anything to do with Balthier being gone, and ended up perusing a bookshelf that decorated his room. A lot of different titles and genres were stocked there, from popular romances to historic tomes - he figured the innkeepers tried to please every potential guest they had. He selected a worn volume of Garif poetry, something he had come to admire only after taking residence in Dalmasca and which interested him even further after having travelled to their lands.

The foreign memories evoked by the ancient poems helped soothe Basch's nerves and eventually he dozed off, the candles near his bed still lit and the book opened on his lap. His soldier instincts kicked in, however, when the creaking sound of the door being opened reached his ears. The Garif book fell to the floor as he scrambled to get to his feet into a defensive position, right hand quickly reaching for a dagger that slept just below his pillow.

His entire posture relaxed when he identified Balthier, the weapon then placed on his bedside table as he watched his roommate for the night locking the door after him. He had no idea of the time, but he guessed it was very late; and judging by the way the sky pirate seemed to stagger, the older man did not know if he had been in trouble or merely drinking - likely the latter, since his clothes seemed unscathed and a small smile played on his lips, despite not entirely reaching his eyes.

"My apologies, captain. I had no idea you were waiting up for me." the outlaw threw himself on the unoccupied bed unceremoniously, without half of the grace that usually highlighted his moves, "My entrance should not have been so loud, either. I will have a word with the innkeeper on the morrow."

"Are you alright, Balthier?" Basch inquired right away, his blue gaze clearly worried as he examined the other man. Rather than returning to his own bed, he edged closer to the younger man and sat down near him, leaning forward and putting one of his hands on the sky pirate's forehead. He seemed... Weird, almost as if he was delirious or feverish. However, Balthier's skin gave no evidence of anything being amiss, despite his cheeks being a bit flustered now that the knight could regard his friend closer.

"I am in perfect physical health, I assure you," the smile on the outlaw's lips grew, but Basch ignored it. Balthier seldom spoke the truth and that was currently not a charming personality trait in the opinion of the Dalmascan knight. He sighed, visibly frustrated as he removed the hand from the sky pirate's forehead and moved to stand up, but found his wrist being gripped with considerably force by the younger man, forcing him to sit down on the soft mattress again.

"Were you worried about me, Basch?"

The blond man didn't know how to reply to that. Deep inside, he knew that Balthier was likely the reason that prevented him from sleeping earlier; however, his travelling companion was also perfectly capable of taking care of himself in his hometown, despite the bounty on his head, and worrying about him sounded foolish to the alleged kingslayer. "We have an important day tomorrow, breaking into Draklor. I... I was unsure of how you were dealing with this prospect after... Everything."

Whatever answer the sky pirate had prepared, it died before reaching his smiling lips. His features changed, his green eyes becoming warmer and the tight grip loosening on Basch's wrist. He said nothing for a few minutes, then sighed deeply, "I am prepared to sever my ties to the past, captain. However, that is not a decision for me to make alone... I had to talk to my brothers."

Surprise was written all over Basch's face, due both to the straight out admission from the other man and to the fact that he had brothers. Somehow he had never pictured any more family for him other than his brilliant and mad father, but the soldier himself saw the mistake in his own assumptions. Just because he lacked an evil twin, as he joked in the past, didn't mean he lacked siblings altogether.

"Galean is the oldest, he already has a daughter of two. He is a very important merchant in Archades, with a huge shop at the Molberry district. Sometimes, if you are lucky, he takes little Evelyn to the shop with him and you can see her playing with the patrons, under the faithful watch of his wife..." Balthier paused, then moved on, "Raimond is the second. He was part of the diplomatic body of the Archadian empire in Rozarria before the crisis began, but then the late emperor summoned the entire department back. He now has a bureaucratic job at the palace."

It did not escape Basch the fact that all three sons of Cidolfus were incredibly successful and important members of the Archadian society. Had Balthier not strayed from his path, he too would be a famed judge or even a judge magister today. Even so, his skill as a sky pirate and his knowledge of mechanics was astonishing, making the older man certain that intelligence and dedication surely ran in the Bunansa family. He felt a pang at his heart, suddenly remembering his twin and unconsciously desiring that the two of them could reconcile somehow.

"I take it did not go too well? Judging by your... State."

"On the contrary, my friend. We celebrated." A lazy smile curled Balthier's lips as he stretched on the bed, moving in order to sit up and then remove his sandals, proceeding to unbutton his vest afterwards and making himself more comfortable, "Galean had a vintage Rozarrian wine and we drank it together. Cid's madness, you see, tainted the relationship with the entire family. We no longer have a father... But we all agreed that we should endeavor to stop him. At any cost."

"I see."

"Evelyn does not know that we are related. She merely likes to play with my rings." He smiled, probably remembering his young niece and flexing his fingers, the dim light of the room playing tricks with the colorful gems he used on his hand, "Hopefully she will grow to have only good memories about her grandfather and family altogether."

That side of Balthier caught Basch entirely off guard. He did not know what to think or what to say, completely entranced by this display of courage and selflessness. Despite requiring guarantees and demanding for treasure for each and every step he and Fran took with the rest of their party, the sky pirate did not try to hide his altruistic goals from Basch now, definitively becoming the 'leading man' of the story as he so often claimed to be.

"I will be there, my friend," the captain said eventually, his steady blue gaze locking with a dark green one, "We shall all help you make peace with your past, if you so desire."

They stood there, motionless, for what seemed like an eternity to Basch. The last candle went out then, leaving the room in complete darkness, but his senses were alert enough in order to detect a slight shift of the weight on the mattress, feeling the hot breath of Balthier against his naked skin when the younger man came to rest his head on his bare shoulder, "Thank you for waiting up, Basch." The older man could feel the lips of his companion brushing softly against the shell of his ear, making him shiver imperceptibly, "I will make sure to reward your loyalty in the near future."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As per the FF wiki, Balthier is the third son of Doctor Cid. The jobs and names of Balthier's older brothers are completely made up.


	4. Feywood (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter assumes that Balthier never knew his father visited Giruvegan in the past. Also, I played with the Feywood a little…

The humid heat filled with insects of the Golmore Jungle, the dry and sandy wind of the Nam-Yensa Sandsea, the freezing and slippery Paramina Rift; Basch had seen it all, but the Feywood was probably the place which unsettled him the most during their journey so far. The mist was so thick that he could barely walk without bumping into small plants, tree trunks or deadly foes; it clung to him, leaving his hair wet, his clothes damp and plummeting his humor. He figured he wasn't the only one who wanted to cross the Feywood quickly - the party rarely talked, partly because their voices echoed too loudly and no one wanted to risk attracting more enemies to an already difficult situation.

Ashe was behaving strangely. For one or two times now, Basch could swear she was slipping into some kind of madness, claiming to have seen her late husband, guiding her. Fran and Balthier barely talked and the silence, coming from the sky pirate, spoke volumes to the Dalmascan knight. The children seemed to be faring better, even if only because they were still blessed with their innocence and enthusiasm when exploring anything new.

They encountered one nasty creature along the way. Fran said it was a Rafflesia, a very aggressive vegetal which has been transformed by the abundant mist of the Feywood. The viera detested such foul creatures and they defeated it at great cost, losing all the abilities to cast magicks for an extended period of time and being forced to look for a place to rest before moving forward. 

An improvised camp was set up only a little ahead of where the Rafflesia had been killed. They dared not advance more, and the path they should take seemed to be less and less certain. Balthier had a curious and useful device that he carried with him and which seemed to work like a compass, but it was rendered completely useless by the strange workings of the mist found in the Feywood. Knowing that they would need to progress on a trial and error basis in that infernal place, Basch was left with very little to do until they had recovered, save for cursing the mist clouds which went rolling almost as if through him, making him shiver and further dampening his clothes, sword and mood.

Basch figured it should be nighttime already – lights were dimmed now, but the strange reflections from the mist made it difficult to guess. These reflections had started to increase and they unsettled the knight since the first illusion he saw, which looked like his backyard at the time he lived in Landis with Gabranth. That was obviously not a reflection of anything nearby: Landis was miles and miles away and the memories buried deeply within his heart, but they somehow seemed to be more visible than never there.

Perhaps the mist was inducing some sort of lunacy in them – Ashe had seen the late prince, and he now had seen his past. Was the Feywood something more than a mere ancient and disturbing forest? He had just considered that thought when suddenly the grey walls of damp mist moved over him and a strange light flashed in the night, showing him the image of his own face, dressed in almost full Judge Magister armor, hands covered in blood and pale eyes staring straight at him.

That made the Dalmascan knight stand up from the tree trunk he had been resting upon, stumbling backwards and colliding into the slender figure of the sky pirate. Basch was so startled that he only recognized his companion when he was already gripping him with such strength that he could have hurt his friend. The portion of food and the canteen flask he had brought with him were dropped to the ground, but that was the least of Balthier’s concerns when he locked his gaze with the captain. 

“Captain, it’s only me.”

“My… Apologies, Balthier,” he said, clearly still under the influence of the dread and cold terror that the image brought by the mist had inflicted on him, “I thought I had seen… Something.” He promptly released his travelling companion and helped him salvage whatever food and drink was possible, apologizing again and trying his best to take control over his fragile nerves.

“Was it something in the mist?”

The way the question was posed made Basch realize that he wasn’t going insane – Balthier’s was looking at him in with a veiled expectation in his green eyes, almost if he was seeking confirmation for his own suspicions. The blond man nodded, slowly, and rather than sitting down again, he gestured towards his barrack and was silently followed by the sky pirate. He no longer wanted to be exposed to the mist, if possible.

Once inside, they accommodated themselves as best as they could. They also turned on a small lamp, shedding some light on both faces and also allowing them to eat cooked morsels of a wild hare they had captured as soon as they walked into the Feywood. Basch’s appetite, however, was gone just like his humor and energy – and that was an obvious sign to Balthier.

“Fran told me that the road to Giruvegan is a hard one and a feat very few accomplished. Not because of the climate, the monsters or due to faulty compasses… But because the mist confuses and terrifies even the bravest men and women.”

“Ashe has been behaving oddly since we entered the woods. At first I thought it was something that was affecting her in particular, but then I got… Flashes. Images of my past which couldn’t be here. And then… Then…”

Balthier reached out to him, joining their hands. The familiar weight of his fingers, the warmth of his palm and the golden gleam granted by the lamp to his green eyes was the greatest comfort Basch could ask for. Unknowingly to him, the sky pirate was also seeking something real and tangible for himself, and the steady blue gaze somehow always managed to ground him.

“I saw Fran unconscious – or dying, I couldn’t know for sure. Debris of a damaged airship were everywhere and before I could understand what I was seeing, it was gone.” His voice was quiet, no more than a whisper; however, in that abnormally silent wood, it was enough for Basch to hear him clearly, “I saw flashes of my childhood home, of my father laughing madly, of the wedding of sweet, young Penelo…” Balthier’s lips then curled up, a look of dark amusement changing his features, “I thought I saw you in Archadian armor, covered in blood.”

That made the captain tense – both men could feel it, he knew. He made no effort to hide his surprised gaze, or the fact that he should have been looking paler than ever. His hand turned, palm against palm now, intertwining his fingers with the sky pirate’s and desperately needing that human contact, the proximity of something real.

“I also saw flashes of my past and then… Me, dying in armor, just as you described.”

Balthier’s gaze softened and then he pushed their makeshift plates aside, using his free hand to take one more sip from the wine and then moving forward, getting closer enough to the captain in order to comb his blond hair away from his face. His hands were no longer laced together, for one of them was resting on Basch’s shoulder and the other was carefully tracing the scar he had above his left eyebrow.

“It wasn’t you who we both saw dying, my friend. There was no scar on his face.” The words were spoken softly, Balthier’s warm breath touching the other man’s face which now had transformed into pure surprise and dread; the sky pirate could feel the way the body of the Dalmascan knight responded to that, becoming tense almost immediately, but he refused to pull away. The vision they both had shared had put Balthier into motion after he recalled certain memories of his own, back in Archades and even before that during their journey.

“We once thought about going to Giruvegan, Fran and I. The tales of treasure hidden by ancient gods was tempting enough for an ambitious sky pirate, but she never agreed to it. The expeditions set out for the ancient city never returned, and Fran later explained that the dense mist was likely the reason. The viera have a name for one of the most dangerous places of this wood… It’s called ‘The Edge of Reason’. You need not stray much in order to be lost forever.” He paused and noticed that Basch was completely entranced by his words. He was still as stone, and only the outlaw’s finger moved, still tracing the scar which seemed to fade with each passing day.

“Viera lore spoke of illusions which could throw explorers off their path. Past and future would mingle and leave those with no purpose without their present… Hence why we never came here until now.” He let the implications of his words sank in and saw Basch blink twice, also proceeding to lick his dry lips absentmindedly.

“So Noah… I mean, Gabranth will… He will…”

“One does not know if future visions are certain or if they can change. But Basch…,” Balthier then moved again, sinking to his knees and staring right into blue eyes with a fierce determination burning in his eyes. It was not a trick of the lamp light and the captain felt his breath fall short, his entire body anticipating something from the younger man, “I know nothing of honor and loyalty, but I am dedicated to freedom. And there is no chance I’d allow one of the few people I trust to remain in a prison when the journey ahead is so uncertain.”

“Prison? Balthier, what…”

“I freed you once, captain. I’m prepared to do it again as the reward I promised you not long ago.” And before Basch could say anything more, the outlaw crushed his mouth with his own, silencing him completely save for low moans that mixed surprise and pleasure. If Balthier had any doubt about the feelings the captain harbored for him, they were gone the second he reciprocated the kiss, coarse hands moving to press him closer and a hungry tongue seeking for attention and control.


	5. Feywood (part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter follows the events of the last one, but is basically a PWP (if read alone). Feel free to move to the next chapter if you’d rather not deal with graphic sex descriptions.

Being the subject of the affections of other men was clearly not something strange to Basch. With a military history, that was more often than not the case between sword brothers and it helped the captain to sleep through some hard nights. As a child, he had imagined himself to be the perfect husband: caring, loyal, passionate about his career and in love with his wife. But his childhood dreams were crushed when Landis fell and he forsake such idea, refusing to allow anyone to share his misery. He was not worth it.

Balthier, on the other hand, couldn’t care less about Basch’s notions of nobility and honor. Where the captain only saw himself as the sword and shield for an ultimate respectable goal, the younger outlaw saw the determination, loyalty and passion he had for life. He could recall a conversation they had when he revealed that his relationships were fleeting because people were always seeking to tame him – but with Basch, he was the one smashing the prison bars rather than being locked up.

“Balthier, I… I had no idea…” Those were the first words uttered by the knight, completely flushed and his hair messier than usual. His breath was short and his eyes were wide and gleaming, still surprised at everything, “I mean, you obviously jest and tease everyone, I never dared presume I was an exception.”

“You are not, my friend. I jest and tease you more than anyone else. We might be en route to losing relatives, facing unimaginable creatures and babysitting two impossible children, but I would not deprive myself of this.” They moved quietly, careful not to accidently destroy their only source of light. Balthier’s languid body adjusted quickly to Basch’s solid figure under him, moving to sit down on his lap and then lean down, fingers smartly dealing with the other man’s upper clothing.

Basch only then seemed to realize that the shadows they were casting when moving inside the barracks would be terribly obvious to anyone outside. He then moved his hands, trying to stop Balthier for a second: “The children…”

“Were asleep when I brought you food and Fran and Ashe will certainly do their best to avoid coming here if they see anything.” His grin was devilish, but there was relief and desperation mixed behind his clear arousal. That place was dangerous to any sane man and perhaps the only way they would make it would be to give in to insanity, because Basch doubt he would otherwise allow the other man to disrobe him and stroke him like that so near the kids and the women.

He then responded – it was futile to pretend that he didn’t want the other man as much as he wanted him. He had always followed him with a silent gaze, at first distrustful; then coming to somehow begrudgingly respect his cunning and skills and eventually progressing to admiration and desire. He recalled now all the times they shared an improvised bath, or when they slept in the same room or even during fights, when his graceful and quick movements always seemed to attract his attention.

The sky pirate hummed his approval of Basch’s initiative, dedicated to nibbling his left earlobe. When the captain cupped and felt his growing erection, he nibbled harder and the blonde moaned, stifling the sound as best as he could. It was hard to undress inside the barrack, but the need was so strong that they made do, opening buttons and belts and rolling fabric away. That left Balthier with his white shirt open and tanned skin exposed to hungry kisses, and nothing else on his lower body. The captain had lost his flimsy jacket, which hung open and discarded below his body, and his shorts were pulled away just enough to release his member.

There were more hungry kisses exchanged as Basch enveloped the other man with his arms, pressing their bodies together and moaning deliciously due to the friction. The sky pirate was no stranger to this dance and rocked his figure accordingly, gasping into the kiss when the captain nibbled on his lower lip and played with his firm ass, fingers raking through the exposed flesh with surprising confidence.

“My, my captain… I thought I’d have to teach you everything…”

“I have a history in the army, Balthier. I was the young soldier once…” he whispered, moving up one hand to dive his fingers into the sky pirate’s short hair and keeping him into place for another desperate kiss. The idea of them being seen together was no longer the source of any concern to the Dalmascan knight, now focused only on the increasing urge he was sure the other man shared with him, “I have no wish to hurt you, however…”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures, Basch.” Balthier grinned and moved a bit, sitting up and obviously aware of the rigid member near his entrance, teasing the older man as he captured his travelling pack with one hand and rummaged through its contents, “Luckily for you, I’ve learned one trick or two for times in the field. Have you not?”

“Echo herbs,” he said, indicating a greenish vial with his head, “Not that used in common battles and does not cause any adverse effects to the skin.” Balthier laughed quietly, nodding and seeming truly amused at the fact that the captain had been a naughty boy under less than favorable circumstances before. He uncapped the small vial and Basch offered his right hand, coating his fingers and then looking at the other man for approval.

At a nod of his head, the knight began preparing the other man. Balthier’s face was unusually unguarded, showing every emotion under the flickering light to his travelling companion. They adjusted their bodies so Basch had a good angle and the sky pirate could relax his muscles, but the first moments resulted in obvious pain, written all over the outlaw’s features.

“Should I stop?”

“Should I stab you?” Balthier opened his eyes and grinned, distracting himself from a second wave of discomfort when he lowered his body and kissed Basch on his lips, slow and caring as the finger which played inside him. It took a bit of time – both men had not done it in quite some time, after all – but eventually it worked and Balthier seemed to feel better, allowing a second finger inside him and nibbling on the other man’s neck now, one hand occupied with the throbbing erection of his friend as well.

“Balthier…” The whisper came out with no further compliment, but the outlaw knew how glad the captain was. Truth to be told, the younger man was far from being altruistic at that moment, since he needed Basch just as badly. But it felt good to hear his name in such a hushed, desire-lidded voice, and the shiver which went down his spine was matched by a third and final finger.

The rest of the echo herbs vial was used by Balthier, coating the member of his travelling companion with ease and then wiping his fingers on his own shirt. They moved in silent agreement afterwards, the younger man kneeling on either side of Basch’s body and angling himself so he’d be exactly on top of the turgid member. The captain used one hand to better guide himself, the tip of his erection brushing against his friend’s entrance and then looking up to see green eyes turned darker with desire.

“Go.”

He needed no other word to proceed – the echo herbs had done their job and facilitated the process, but he was still cautious. Basch was not exactly small and he did not wish to hurt Balthier, so instead he was careful, stopping and allowing the other man time to adjust. Green eyes were now closed, the face of the younger man showing his concentration on what he was doing – and he could see the knuckles of his hands turning pale from the effort he was making to relax and avoid any unnecessary sounds.

It felt like eternity for the captain – slow, delicious and agonizing time until he felt he was fully sheathed within the slender body. Balthier moaned softly, his body leaning forward and his hands now sprawled on the ground for better support. The knight was holding the other man on his hips to steady him, helping him move up and down eventually and mesmerized at the way pleasure slowly replaced all the signs of pain and discomfort.

“Basch…”

It had been so long since anyone whispered his name in such a luscious tone that he responded by going a bit further and stronger; that seemed to produce a marvelous effect, for Balthier’s entire body convulsed and his eyes shot open, his emerald gaze locking on his pale eyes in a similar state of unnamed pleasure.

“Again.”

He sought to mimic his previous efforts and was rewarded with more contractions of Balthier’s body, applying more pressure to his own member as a consequence. The older man then let one of his hands roam, settling it on the sky pirate’s erection and stroking it gently, combining two different sources of stimuli for him and enjoying every second of his expressions.

“I am afraid I will not… Last much longer if you-ahh…” He stopped speaking and bit his lower lip, head thrown back in a clear spectacle of abandon and allowing a silent scream of sheer delight to wash over him. The visions provided by his companion were more than enough to make Basch feel he would not be very far behind from Balthier, especially considering how hot and tight his body was and how desperate he had been for that kind of comfort.

“It matters not, Balthier.” He said in such a husky and low voice that barely sounded like him; he thrusted harder and quicker, feeling hot, white pleasure taking over and increasing the rhythm of his hand. The result was a myriad of gasps, barely stifled moans and desperate grasps of his hand which left red angry marks on Basch’s pale skin when he came, triggering the captain’s own orgasm after the series of convulsions of his own younger body.

They had no room to lie side by side – so Balthier crashed on top of his travelling companion, ignoring the mess between their bodies and offering one last, tired kiss to the captain before nuzzling his neck and trying to recover his breath. Basch was faring only marginally better, his chest going up and down rapidly as he recovered from his release, stroking the short hair of his friend and holding him closer to him.

“Tomorrow… Remember that any illusions you might see in the mist, Basch…” the words came in whispers, hot breath against his ear making the captain shiver slightly, “Are only bars of the cell… Trying to imprison you…”

“I might let myself get caught… If you promise a similar rescue,” he replied with a small smile, his head still light and fuzzy from all the physical effort and from the glorious pleasure he had experienced. Balthier chuckled, moving in order to dislodge himself the better he could and then lying on Basch’s side, both bodies staying close due to the lack of room and in order to still benefit from the mutual warmth.

“Basch fon Ronsenburg, damsel in distress.”

“Well, you do have the aristocratic blood to be a noble dashing prince.” The joke made the sky pirate pretend to be insulted at the idea of being noble, but he did not complain about the dashing part. Without further banter, they drifted to sleep almost at the same time. Basch’s last thoughts before unconsciousness were of gratitude – future visions or not, he felt surprisingly confident in fighting against the odds their journey would certainly present in the coming days.


	6. Balfonheim

Balthier had been distinctly moody since they returned from Giruvegan. The search for Cid had been fruitless – he had never been there, in truth, and his only purpose with the ruse was to lead Ashe to the Occuria. With every passing second, the sky pirate grew agitated; he wanted to put an end to everything before the mad doctor could bring about any more harm. He also felt somehow responsible for Ashe’s future reactions, especially now she was in possession of the Treaty Blade.

At first, he had disliked the idea of returning to Balfonheim and coming to Reddas for help. But since Vaan had insisted and given the absence of any other lead as to his father’s whereabouts, he didn’t see another choice. However, as soon as he was back to the harbor city, he booked a room at the local inn and locked himself up there, much to the surprise to the rest of the party.

Ashe was restless. Rather than try and talk to Balthier about the sword, she disappeared to make her own purchases from the local shops and get ready for the next stop of their journey, even if they still needed to decipher the clues left behind by the Occuria. Vaan and Penelo instinctively knew they would not be of much help with the sky pirate, so they left to explore the city – leaving the Dalmascan knight and the viera to deal with the situation.

“Do you know why Balthier doesn’t trust Reddas?”

Fran and Basch were sitting at the bar, enjoying a couple of drinks at the first floor of the inn where Balthier had shut himself in. Her elegant ears flickered, something that the older man had learned to recognize as a sign of thoughtfulness. 

“He rarely speaks of his past, but I know Reddas is a part of it. More than that was never disclosed.” She said quietly, her face impassive as always. There were, however, faint traces of worry – she was clearly concerned for her partner, or at least, as worried as a viera could demonstrate being.

“And how good a judge of character is Balthier?”

“Well, he saw fit to release you in Nalbina.” Fran let a small smile curl her lips up, drinking from her glass after that light quip. Basch was pretty sure the viera was just drinking to keep him company, because the beverage had no effect whatsoever regarding her demeanor and reflexes while the captain knew he’d have a headache on the following morning if he kept going at that pace.

The hume was silently proud of his ability of retaining the natural color of his face rather than blushing. Although he couldn’t be sure, Fran had eyed him differently since the Feywood and he had this nagging suspicion that she knew of everything that had happened between her partner and the older man. She seemed… Amused, if anything. Balthier used to be in a better mood as well, but just until they realized they had followed Cidolfus’ plan perfectly.

“If that is your main argument, then I believe we should be careful when dealing with Reddas,” Basch joked, finishing his drink and vowing to never repeat that experience in the company of a viera again. His smile faded quickly, however, and his blue gaze rose to meet Fran’s, “Do you think… We should talk to him? Give him time?”

“Balthier is the youngest child in his family. He’s accustomed to being spoiled and having his desires being fulfilled.” The way the viera said it made Basch realize he was far from being the only one privy to his friend’s past life. There was a hint of amusement and another one of jealousy in her voice, and the knight remembered that Fran was actually the middle sister, and blamed for some of the acts later committed by her youngest one, Mjrn.

“So give him time and let him learn a lesson?”

“It depends.” Her ears flickered graciously again, and Basch felt guilty of staring at them. He lowered his gaze and found Fran smiling lightly at him, his mind puzzling over the fact – vieras were unusual composed when compared to humes, and the amount of amusement and smiles Fran directed at him within the last minutes had made Basch feel somewhat uneasy.

“It depends on what?”

“On how much you want to see him.” Basch tried his best to avoid blushing, but he could feel his failure as his face heated. The red tinge was faint, but it was certainly there. When he said nothing, Fran carried on, “Balthier is not mad at his father per se, I know this. He has made peace with his destiny regarding Doctor Cid. This is him… Wanting attention and a potential audience for his frustration. He knows he will have neither from me or the children, much less from an obsessed princess.”

The knight nodded, slowly. Maybe he needed one more drink to face that conversation with Fran, or maybe he just needed to go upstairs. Before he could decide, Fran added one last piece of advice: “Regardless of you going to him or not, he will eventually talk to Reddas and our journey will resume. It is entirely up to you whether to make of this moment something else or not. I know he wants it – now you must decide if you will indulge him.”

Basch smiled, admitting his defeat and slowly pushing himself up into a standing position. Fran was now clearly amused, despite the smile being gone; her eyes, however, sparkled with mischievousness. He laughed then, eyeing his companion before asking: “How long have you known?”

“Since the first night. Viera have excellent hearing skills.” She said nothing more and Basch refused to remain there to be further humiliated. He imagined that Fran would eventually guess everything, since the pair of sky pirates seemed to be able to read each other like a book. He hadn’t thought, however, that he would have to face it so soon.

He took the stairs under Fran’s gaze, but the feeling of her eyes on his back was gone as soon as he reached the first floor. He had no trouble finding the proper room and then politely knocking on the door, waiting for an answer – what surprised him is that Balthier actually acknowledged his presence quick enough: “Come on in, captain.”

He turned the doorknob and realized the room was not locked, as he had imagined. Balthier was sitting on a chair, feet up on the only table of the room, his face looking through the window and focused on the sun outside. Papers were scattered under his sandals and other items were all over his bed, as well as evidence of a previous meal and drinks. He entered quietly, closing the door and locking it after him despite Balthier not asking him to do so. “How did you know it was me?”

“Fran would never knock and our resident royalty would barge orders after that. The children would never dare come here, so…” His head turned, and Basch realized he had discarded his vest, one of the white shirts he so favored being completely unbuttoned and hanging loosely from his arms. Balthier knew that had gotten the other man’s attention, “That left one option only.”

“How cunning of you.” Despite the small smile, Basch was not that surprised; if everything Fran told him was true, he was expecting that knock from the soldier, sooner or later. He walked to the bed, picking up the food tray and placing it on the floor, as well as piling the myriad of items, accessories and loot Balthier had scattered there together, making room so he could sit down. “I have been talking to Fran.”

“Is that so?”

“She said you’d be expecting me.” Basch said, meeting the sky pirate’s gaze and finding playful green eyes. The direct approach the knight tended to adopt seemed to be a never-ending source of amusement for the slender man. “Judging by the unlocked door and your state of semi-undress, I’d wager she was right.”

“Fran is hardly wrong. A most annoying trait, but one learns how to live with that.” He was smiling now, and with one swift movement, his feet were back to the ground. He began to untie his sandals, freeing his feet from the worn footwear. “So you thought I was merely sulking, disappointed that Cid has mislead me when he never gave me the tiniest reason to trust him?”

“Something like that. You did seem eager to settle matters with Cid. And the Feywood and Giruvegan were no easy trials,” he added almost as an afterthought, but soon realized how easy he had made things for Balthier. He too noticed it, chuckling and moving from his chair to stand right in front of the Dalmascan captain, enjoying the possibility of looking down at the other man when he was usually the one towering above the party.

“The Feywood was easy enough… Once you knew what to look for…” He bent forward, inhaling the scent of Basch’s blonde hair. He had only quickly washed after their return, but the pirate seemed to pick up even that detail. “But since our search resulted in a dead end and now we must seek assistance from a man I’d rather not be in debt with, I’m bidding my time until going to him.”

“Why is that? You mistrust your own kind?” Basch inquired but his questions came out more like a whisper; Balthier had now climbed on the bed as well, knees on each of his side and hands working silently on his jacket, caressing his skin and shivering when his short fingers raked his arms. His breath also tickled his neck, and the knight had closed his eyes in order to better take in his other senses.

“Especially my kind… And because I believe I know what Reddas is after and I’m not sure if it’ll be in our best interest. Unlike in the army, I will never go directly to him and let him become aware of the fact that he has potentially valuable information for me. The price…” Balthier mouthed his words against Basch’s skin now, removing each belt in time with his speech, “Could… Go… Up.” 

Once he had successfully disrobed the upper body of Basch, the sky pirate proceeded to sit down on his lap and rock his body, perfectly able to feel the growing erection under his clothing. The older man reached for the loose shirt, removing it completely and then embracing Balthier to pull him in for a hungry kiss, exploring his mouth and delighted to feel it reciprocated with the same intensity. They have never had the chance to repeat their night at the Feywood and only a couple of hidden kisses had sustained Basch’s desires since then.

“I should have suspected you were only being capricious, as usual…” Basch said with a small laugh as he shifted his position and laid down, bringing the other man with him and pressing their bodies together. Balthier let out a moan without trying to suppress the sound and the knight felt it going directly towards his member. He could get used to this, definitively.

“Leave the lies to the professionals, captain.” Balthier retorted with a smile, one hand sliding under clothing to feel the growing need of his companion, a devilish light in his green eyes, “Because if you mean to say that this…” he squeezed the other man’s length, receiving a throaty moan in response, “Is only for my benefit, I am not buying.”

Basch laughed and raised both hands to the other man, as if signaling his defeat. He gave up talking and both men resumed the activities at hand, too engrossed with each other to even notice the night that had fallen outside and unaware that Fran was able to hear them even from the floor blow.


	7. Pharos at Ridorana (part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter became so long I had to split it in two. A lot of the dialogue should be familiar enough, since I have used lines from the game itself.

“He without power, want it not. He with power, trust it not. He with sight, heed it not.” Balthier spat the words as if they were poison. Since they had arrived at the ‘tower on a distant shore’, he knew they were looking for trouble. The place was eerie and inhabited by creatures different from anything else he had ever seen – and he and Fran had chased some peculiar marks back in their days of careless adventures. The inscriptions they found by King Raithwall sounded like an ill omen, and so far, he was right.

Basch noticed the scowl that seemed to have taken up residence on his friend’s face. Even Vann noticed that, and he was by far the most distracted member in their party, even if he had grown up and matured considerably for a kid his age. Although they didn’t talk much, the knight knew he shared that feeling with the sky pirate: the place was dangerous, the fiends strong and the challenges and puzzles they kept finding were exhausting.

“With puzzles like these, one doubts that the Occuria would like to have another king appointed by them. Most candidates would perish before even reaching the top,” Balthier quipped, earning a smile from Penelo and a glance from Fran. Ashe, however, was deadly silent and seemed to ignore all the complaints and jabs made by the outlaw. It was usually the princess who ran up to altars, seeking inscriptions and solving the puzzles, asking for advice from the viera when needed.

“We should make camp and rest before going up the next ascent. If it turns out to be similar to this one, we may not have a chance to properly recover without the aid of magicks.” Basch counseled them in a low voice, particular unsettled by the charms in place which often rendered one of their abilities useless. The last path they had crossed removed any ability to cast magic, and prior to that, they found out that any weapon was futile and seemed good enough to cut through paper only, if anything. For a military man like Basch, the experience of being unarmed had been terrifying.

“The sooner we make it to the top, the sooner we end this.” Ashe said, and Reddas gave a nod behind her. Balthier made a sound which certainly was intended to express his distrust and disagreement, and he walked away from the group under the gaze of Fran and Basch. They exchanged quick looks while Ashe and the other pirate talked quietly, hushed whispers impossible to understand reaching the blonde man’s ears due to the echoes of the place. He was also concerned with the princess – her drive and obstinate demeanor told him very little of her true intentions and he no longer knew if he (or anyone else) would be able to influence her final decision. 

“Let’s go, then!” Penelo was the first one to trail excitedly after Ashe, the youthful energy she displayed stirring more than a little jealousy within Basch. Fran merely nodded and moved to the next flight of stairs, and Vaan eyed the captain with an inquiring look, the kind which made it look like it was his responsibility to deal with the sky pirate. He sighed, and while the sound of footsteps from the rest of their party became fainter as they went away, he walked over to Balthier and placed on hand on his shoulder.

“Balthier? Are you feeling well?”

“I certainly am less tired than you, old man.” Despite not looking around to give Basch a glance, the knight saw the ghost of a smile on his lips. That declaration was not untrue: Basch was the oldest one in their party and carried the heaviest weapon as well. However, he hardly minded the familiar weight on his hands and usually never complained about them not making enough stops, accompanying the rhythm of his princess.

“We’d better keep up with them. This place is full of treachery and unseen dangers.”

“This place is also where I saw Cid laughing like a madman back into the Feywood. I’d rather not rush unprepared into our potential demise from Ivalice, if I could help.”

That startled Basch. He had not been aware that they were so close to one of their potential visions, since his was obviously nowhere near. But his hand gave Balthier’s shoulder a stronger squeeze, understanding why the sky pirate feared the top of the pharos. It was not so much the idea of killing his own father, but being killed by him and everything he precisely tried so hard to run away from.

“Balthier… We are not even sure the visions will come to pass. And even so, we are here defeating fate and godly beings. I am confident that no harm will come to you… Or to our friends.”

“Look at you, captain. You were so scared of images in the mist and now the confidence in your voice is almost good enough for me.”

Basch used both hands then, turning the sky pirate around and facing him. There was no way his green eyes could escape his unwavering gaze, and a light shiver went down the younger man’s spine when he saw his determination burning hotly under placid blue irises. Calloused fingers were holding him in place and the warmth they irradiate could be felt through the thin fabric of his shirt, offering him no chance to run away from that moment.

“We are friends. You promised you’d journey to Landis with me after everything. I promised I’d help you battle your demons as well. You will never be alone, Balthier, if you so desire.”

That silenced the outlaw – his eyes widened in surprise, then warmed with the words spoken by the captain. Slowly, the hands which gripped him let go of his body, and he was free to move as he pleased. A small smile tugged the corners of the younger man’s mouth up, mirth evident despite the gravity of the situation they were going up against.

“Duly noted, captain. My word is my bond, then, but you know I cannot vouch for much as a pirate. You’d better protect your princess as well, or else we might not have much of an Ivalice to go on afterwards.” With that, he turned around and headed for the same path taken by their companions, Basch trailing behind. They were silent for the remainder of their journey, never stopping, never wavering – but Fran seemed to be glad for whatever Basch had done, and they reached the top of the pharos after a few long, tiring hours.

After all the deadly beasts they had faced, the captain was not surprised to find an Esper blocking the way. It was a heavy hitter, and Ashe was one of the main injured people in their party – but luckily they were well stocked and potions were enough to restore her spirits. Even then, she did not stop – and they climbed again, going up a final set of stairs and then taking a lift which brought them to the Sun-Cryst.

Fran was behaving normally, but her ears flickered and nose twitched, uncomfortable. “The mist grows too strong,” she said, eyes glued to the giant stone which shone as bright as the sun, and yet seemed perfectly within reach to be destroyed. Ashe moved forward, blade in hand, and then stopped. Everyone but Vaan looked really surprised at the appearance of Lord Rasler, a pale blue ghost which seemed to beckon the princess close.

“Lord Rasler?” Basch couldn’t help a whisper himself. Ashe was agitated and talked to him, but he seemed to give no answers. An entire exchange of glances between her and Vaan seemed to indicate that the boy was part of something – he either saw the prince before or was the princess’ confidante, because he did not look surprised at the fact of his late prince being there.

They could not hear what the member of the Dalmascan royalty was saying, but eventually she screamed and swung the sword, cutting the illusion in half. Her words were ‘you were not the kind to take base revenge’, and the relief that flooded Balthier’s body was palpable. He was never sure of her intentions, up to that final moment, concerning the nethicite.

The sky pirate followed her movements, which led to another strike at the illusion that was now clearly not the spirit of the departed prince: everyone could hear the distorted voice of the Occuria and how they’d have used her for their plans which, so far, seemed to be consistent with Cid’s – get the blade, cut the crystal, use the stone and make war. However, before she could strike the Sun-Cryst as promised, a voice came from one of the windows, modified by his armor but clear nonetheless:

“You claim no need of power?”

Everyone turned to see the entrance of a Judge Magister – and if memory served, Balthier was sure that was the armor used by Gabranth. Basch had gone pale, obviously surprised at the presence of his twin brother there, especially considering the vision he had seen before. But he breathed deeply and sought back his self-control, his own hand on the hilt of his heavy sword and watching every step taken by his brother.

“What of your broken kingdom's shame? The dead demand justice!”

Basch took a step closer to Gabranth, but it was Vaan who replied first: “You're wrong,” he said, his face stricken with grief, but Gabranth paused. It was hard to tell with the helmet on, but he seemed confused at the boy’s soft words, “What would change? I can't help my brother now. My brother's gone…” Vaan’s expression then changed, almost colored by rage now, but firm, “He's dead!”

“Even with power, we cannot change what has passed. What's done is done.” The princess was calm and collected, unlike her past self of a few minutes ago when she seemed to hesitate between using the stone or not. She dropped the Dawn Shard, which rolled quietly to the Judge Magister’s feet, offering him no resistance. She would not pick up the stone and Balthier could not been happier with that.

“Yet without power, what future can you claim? What good a kingdom you cannot defend?”

The sky pirate only saw the quick movements of his companion. Basch was immediately between the future queen of a restored Dalmasca and his brother, hand on his sword and ready to strike. It seemed an unfair match – the captain with his light protective clothing, his twin under full armor and wielding the famed Chaos sword, as well as his second shorter one, connected in dual-blade fashion.

“Then I will defend queen and kingdom both!”

The grave voice of the Dalmascan knight boomed through the ample place. He was every bit as determined as he had been when talking to Balthier before, and there he was, contemplating a potential future in which his brother could be dead at his own hand. The sky pirate realized that swallowing became harder, and even his fingers were fidgeting with his gun. He could not see a way out for everyone without someone getting hurt.

He knew Basch was not ready for that – somehow, he still believed in bringing his brother back, in saving the twin from the dark place he had placed himself into. His loyalty to Dalmasca was unquestionable, but the desire to redeem his kin was also there. Gabranth, however, chuckled darkly, and merely replied back with an accusing blade pointed towards them:

“Hah! Defend? You? You who failed Landis and Dalmasca? What can shame hope to keep safe?” Every word that came out from the Judge Magister seemed to pierce the older man harder than a spear, but Basch stood his ground, eyeing his brother preparing himself for combat, “Your shield is shattered!”, he said, dislodging one blade from another and separating them, aiming both at the group, “Your oaths poison those you would protect!”

That was too much – Basch was the first one to strike, but Gabranth capably matched his attack with one of his blades. Vaan was the first one who rushed to help, followed by Penelo and then the entire party. Despite the best intention of the children, they were quickly pushed away by the strong armor, and only the adults had any chance at defeating him.

Reddas proved to be useful, and some magicks cast by Fran helped. However, it was from Basch that the majority of the blows came, his fierce determination burning in blue eyes. Balthier more than once had to remind himself of the fact that twins were fighting each other there, and imagined if the other set of blue eyes protected by the helmet was as intense as the one pair he could indeed see.

Balthier’s gun did very little to help, but one lucky shot and one precise strike from Basch drove Gabranth away, panting. His labored breath could be heard even through his armor, and the other twin, sweaty and equally tired, watched his brother stagger, still trying to carry both blades for a new set of attack moves.

“So you, too, would leave your debts unpaid?”

But the Dalmascan-serving twin had no time to reply to that question. Another familiar voice reached them and all eyes were raised to meet Doctor Cid’s familiar figure, Dusk Shard on his left hand and walking towards the group.


	8. Pharos at Ridorana (part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Second part of the chapter – but now dealing with Cid. More lines from the game, as this takes place almost entirely within the boss battle with Cid/Framfrit.

“You disappoint me, Gabranth. He trusted you.” He shoved the Judge Magister to the side, eyeing him with a mix of contempt and amusement. “When you bared steel against the princess, you foreswore your obligations to your emperor! You shame yourself and make mockery of Lord Larsa's trust.”

Balthier was still, worry tainting his usual carefree features. Basch could not manage to look elsewhere, his gaze too glued to the pair right in front of them. Both their visions seem to be becoming real at the same time, and he was unsure of what to do. So far, no blood on Gabranth’s hand, no helmet removed – but what about Cid laughing like the madman he had became? What would happen, then?

The scientist was busy turning the Dusk Shard on his hand, but he directed his next words to the Judge on his side: “You are unfit to serve him as sword or shield. And so I release you from that service. Your presence is neither required nor welcome.” And with a dismissive gesture, Cid moved forward, but the anger in Gabranth was palpable.

With an enraged cry, he moved to strike and kill Cidolfus – Balthier’s eyes went wide but it was Basch who screamed ‘Gabranth!’ in an anguished voice, but to no avail. His brother tried his best, but Venat appeared and blocked his attack, eventually throwing the man against one of the stone pillars nearby. He fell down, painful cries reaching them despite the full armor he was wearing, and his head tilted to the side. Whether he was dead or merely unconscious, Basch had no way of knowing.

“You were only a tool of this Venat.”

It was time for Balthier to take the center and address his father. Everyone was still, unmoving, waiting. Cid thought the comment issued by his son to be funny, and merely replied that they were allies. The Occuria, as they surely knew now, only granted power to men in order to tame humanity, much like a master would give food to his dog.

“By turning your back on their stones, you give us free hand to write our own history!” Now Balthier saw it – his father never counted on Ashe’s actually using the Treaty Blade to carve out a piece from the Sun-Cryst to restore Dalmasca. He hoped she would turn her back, exactly as she did, refuse even the Dusk Shard and let him and the heretic Venat open way to a new era to mankind – or so they thought, in their distorted way. When Ashe said she’d destroy the Sun-Cryst, Cid laughed and agreed with her.

“For what other purpose do you think you've brought us here?”

That could not mean something good. Balthier was anxious, afraid of his father’s true intentions. Although he had long ago given up on the idea of having any kind of blood relation to the man that looked so much like him, he still was cautious of his father’s mad intellect, and now that both Ashe and Cid desired the same thing, he was confident they should try anything else but destroying the crystal.

He eyed Reddas. At first, he could not know whether he was joining them to atone for his past or to carve power for himself; despite his claims that nethicite was best thrown in the trash rather than wielded in battle, the power of the stone had corrupted many men even after his father. He was now beginning to think that they had done right by bringing Reddas together with them – he seemed to be ready to fight for their cause, but the issue was: was destroying the crystal the right solution, after all?

They did not have time to think – Cid threw the Dusk Shard to Venat and, together with the two stones they had previously acquired, they started to glow and resonate in combination with the bigger crystal. It suddenly was even brighter than when they arrived at the top, and a strong wind helped keep them at bay while the shards combined and danced in the air.

Cid laughed, open arms and a smile on his face. At that moment, Basch turned his head and saw the look of pure horror on Balthier’s face, and he knew that his vision was becoming reality right in front of his eyes. Whatever glance in the future was allowed to the sky pirate, it began now.

“Shards of nethicite! Cocoon of the Syn-Cryst! Spill forth your mist upon this Ivalice! Let sea and sky be awash in it, that Bahamut may come and drink his fill!” Cid’s voice echoed as the glow grew stronger after the three shards were reabsorbed by the crystal and the mist seeped from there. Balthier was supporting Fran, who was by far the most sensitive to mist from them and seemed to be unwell already. 

“You made your nethicite for this,” the outlaw then released Fran from his grasp, walking forward despite the wind and the brightness that blinded them all, “You mimic the Occuria's stone for what? To become a God yourself?” Rage, disappointment, sadness and every other emotion were mixed together in the sky pirate’s voice. He stared defiantly as his father – or the man that used to be him – refused to acknowledge even for one second the madness of his ideas.

“On whose shoulders better to stand than those of the would-be gods!”

Balthier was thoroughly disgusted at the words he kept hearing. That man, insane to the point of destroying the entire world in the hope of becoming a false god before men and otherworldly creatures as well. His lips were tightly closed and his brow furrowed, his gun itching to be fired and to put an end to everything. Little Evelyn deserved a better world… Not only his niece, but the children of today and the ones unborn yet, every single person in Ivalice did not deserve that mad individual as their ruler.

“Such high hopes I once had... But you ran, and they with you! Alas, your return is too late. Come, Ffamran! Revel in the glory of my triumph!”

Basch thought it was the name Cid used that made all hell break loose. The outlaw was the first to fire a shot, but his father quickly avoided it and everyone joined the fight. He was no Gabranth, skilled in the art of combat – but he had the support of a rogue Occurian and the power of manufacted nethicite, which summoned another Esper to render him immune to every physical and magic attack while the creature wreaked chaos on them.

The fight was hard. Cid kept shooting at them and heavily injuring the team all while they still had to worry about Famfrit. Balthier was not amused at the certain similarity between his name and the one of the beast they eventually captured, but at great cost – Vaan was gravely hurt on one of his arms, albeit not his sword one; and Fran was badly affected by the mist which was still released from the Sun-Cryst. It got to the point where the viera fell down, and Balthier rushed to her side – but Cid blocked the way and father and son contended once more, angry words and attacks exchanged now he was no longer immune to their blows.

Balthier and the others sought cover whenever Cid had time to recharge his insanely huge machine gun – and that happened more than one time. And then, when he was about to use it for a third time on the party and Fran was on the floor, Vaan could barely raise his arm and Penelo had lost her daggers, Basch came from nowhere and hit the scientist on his back, Cid finally dropping his weapons and landing on his knees on the cold, hard stone floor.

Balthier dropped his own gun and rushed to his father. Cid was lying on the floor now, clearly in pain and incapable of causing any more harm. His path was blocked by Venat, and he merely directed an angry look at the creature – it, however, allowed him to go to the fallen man once Cidolfus gave the order. He managed to pull himself up, thanking Venat for their past six years – and all Balthier could remember was his time back home, in Archades, when a young boy of 16 was already a judge and yet missed his father dearly.

He got closer to his father, but realized that the end was near. He glowed as the stones did moments ago, and his body started to become almost transparent at his extremities. He had won, but the taste was bitter – Cid was a threat to be eliminated, but whatever plans he had concocted, these had been accomplished, as far as he could tell. He now definitively lost the man who was once a loving father, the man who taught the fundamentals of mechanics and science to a dedicated son, the teacher that so frequently surpassed the ones Balthier had at school and who filled him with admiration.

“Was there no other way?” 

“Spend your pity elsewhere,” Cid retorted, his face now expressing nothing but disappointment – not at his plan or his defeat, but at his son. He had seen such promise in young Ffamran, and the way the madman eyed him reminded the sky pirate too clearly of the day he renounced his job as a judge and the last of their fights back in Archades, “If you are so set on running, hadn’t you best be off? Fool of a pirate.”

Basch could hear their last words. The entire party was silent and while he felt that their exchange should have been private, there was no way it could be said that Cid did not affect everyone’s lives. The scientist’s last words were harsh and ungrateful, refusing to see his errors up to the last minute – and the knight could only imagine how bad Balthier felt and the indescribable feeling that possessed him. 

He shivered, knowing that someday, in the future, it would be his turn. He glanced at the place where Gabranth had fallen but he was no longer there, so his brother was likely alive and seeking shelter elsewhere. Their final confrontation was yet to come - but he was pulled from his thoughts when Penelo cried and Balthier rushed to the fallen viera, who kept mentioning the growing mist and their danger.

He heard her ushering Balthier to escape, to save himself – but when she repeated his father’s words, whether by accident or not, Balthier only smiled and took her hand into his as she tried to reach his face, telling her to hang on. The captain saw Vaan and Ashe trying to destroy the crystal, but Reddas took their place and told everyone to leave – and when he looked up and saw the Sun-Cryst, he understood why.

“It will not last long!” he shouted, and then went after the princess and the kids. He sheltered them with his body while they ran for the nearest exist, Balthier carrying Fran’s body in his arms. They went down the stairs as quickly as they could, then took the lift which was still operating and now able to take them to the ground floor. And then, they ran once again, finally reaching the Strahl and gaining a safe distance from the pharos.

They stayed there, fluctuating above the sea. Fran had gotten better once she was no longer exposed to the foul mist, and they were all in silence, watching as the top of the pharos exploded. Reddas had sacrificed himself for the sins of his past and in hope to leave a better future for his comrades – and the notion of everyone they had lost that day still loomed in the back of their minds as they returned to Balfonheim.


	9. Sky Fortress Bahamut

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This chapter also heavily borrows dialogue from the game, but less so at the ending. I promise it’s the last chapter to do so.

It was hard to say who was more nervous aboard the Strahl. The plan was only one – to infiltrate the Bahamut. They had all done it in the past, aboard the Dreadnought Leviathan, but the so-called Sky Fortress Bahamut seemed to be something else entirely. They were given bad news from Al-Cid on his last visit, and they knew that war on a full scale was mere moments away, with the risk of obliterating Dalmasca from existence.

And Balthier was thinking about how they had gone from selfish and ambitious sky pirates to almost tragic heroes, trying to prevent what seemed impossible. Sure enough, he felt like it was his responsibility – Doctor Cid, in his dying moment, had achieved his greatest feature and given life to the monstrosity they could see in the sky; but still, the changes were so great that, if it wasn’t for the steady presence of Fran to his right on the ship, he’d think he had lost his mind just as his progenitor.

It was with no short amount of skill that they managed to deck on the Bahamut, with support from the Resistance. The evaded single combat ships on their way and successfully infiltrated the great structure, which more often than not shook from impact of cannons and shots fired from the opposition offered by the Marquis. The inside was deadly quiet and composed by a maze of similar tunnels and skywalks. This time, his compass was futile.

They had to make way through guards and robots, avoiding them whenever possible and running like their lives depended on it – and it did. Everything they knew was that Vayne was likely their best option: if the current Emperor was defeated, there was a good chance of avoiding the war altogether. The only issue was finding him, and Balthier guessed he was on some kind of observance tower ahead.

It was Vaan who found a lift, precisely what they needed. The sky pirate couldn’t help but remember their endless journey at the Pharos at Ridorana, and chuckled without any real humor when he realized a lift would have been most useful back then. But before the kid could figure out the controls to activate the platform they were in, the heavy clanking of a suit of armor drew their attention.

“So you have lived."

Basch’s voice was surprisingly firm and collected for someone who was about to face one of his worst nightmares, the sky pirate thought. Prior to their journey to the Bahamut, he had said that, after Cid’s death and the destruction of the Sun-Cryst, he had not seen Gabranth’s body anywhere, so there was a good chance that they would both live to see their final confrontation, as per the visions in the mist.

"I am Judge Magister," Gabranth replied but despite his clear voice, his body staggered and he had to make an effort to stand upright again. He clearly had not recovered from their last encounter and Basch’s pale gaze was tainted with worry, "Even in disgrace. My just reward for aiding the empire that destroyed my homeland.”

Balthier stood at the back with the rest of their party. Basch never looked back at him, taking bold steps forward and reaching out to this brother with a reconciling hand: "Gabranth, do not blame yourself anymore."

"You confound me, brother! You failed Landis, you failed Dalmasca... All you were to protect. Yet you still hold on to your honor. How?" The Archadian judge gesticulated angrily, obviously irritated and baffled at his twin. He could barely stand up, but he still could find the strength to fight his own kin. Balthier knew too well that feeling.

"I had someone more important to defend. And defend her I have.” Basch was firm, assertive. He was now also between his brother and the future queen of the country he had later adopted as his home. Ashe regarded the figure of her main protector with worry and also a proud look, clearly rewarding him now with the trust she lacked at the beginning of their journey.

“How is it that you have survived? Is it not because you defend Lord Larsa?"

"Silence!” Gabranth raised his dual blade, angry. Apparently, similarities to his own twin brother should be limited to appearance only, for any mere suggestion of shared personality traits seemed to enrage the judge, “All was stripped from me! Only hatred for the brother who fled our homeland remains mine." 

Harsh words for Basch, the sky pirate thought. While he had no love for his father, he knew how much pain that caused his travelling companion. He stood near Fran, merely watching – and felt that the way her hand brushed against his, offering comfort in a silent manner, was not mere coincidence.

Gabranth dislodged the blades. The party got ready to fight them – they all remembered too well what he could do when he separated his swords. “Tell me: why do you forsake that which you must hold most precious?"

Basch moved forward as well, his sword in hand and ready to engage in combat. Battle raged on outside, and it looked like the inside of the sky fortress would not fare much better. "I do as I must, brother. Or is that not answer enough?"

The clash of steel was Balthier’s cue to move in and help. Knowing that he could not do much with a gun against the heavy armor of Basch’s twin, he remained further to the back and supported the rest of the team. He often covered and protected the blonde man, who was obviously the main target of the enraged Judge Magister, but he also lent a hand to the children and Ashe, particularly when she was hit badly by his shorter blade and cried for help, distracting the captain enough to be hurt himself.

Gabranth laughed, despite in a mirthless way. "Futile, Basch! Long have I walked in hatred's company. As long as I can curse your name I shall not be defeated!"

"Then come!” Balthier could see the intensity of Basch’s eyes in that moment; he could guess just how much he wanted to save his brother from the vision he had had, but no alternative existed while Gabranth remained determined to stop Ashe and kill his own twin. “Wield your hatred and crush me. I welcome it!"

Hate, the sky pirate thought, was probably better than cold indifference. You couldn’t hate someone so fiercely and pretend you did not care for that person in the end – after all, hate is a form of attachment, and people sometimes refused to let it go, not unlike love. But indifference to someone else – that was true hell. Knowing your existence mattered not in the slightest had been too hard on the fragile heart of a sixteen year-old Ffamran. Perhaps he could have dealt with hate…

Suddenly, a loud clash – Gabranth fell to his knees, one of the blades dropped unceremoniously to the ground. They could hear his labored breath and there were cracks in his armor now, making the dark fabric of his regular clothing visible. Basch followed these cracks – but found no blood on his hands, not yet. The helmet was still in place.

"Have you your fill of this?"

"I would ask you the same. Let this end, Noah." The way he said his brother’s name was soft, caring even; the outlaw realized how much feeling a single word, a mere name could carry – and that was the strongest blow of them all, for Gabranth fell to the floor then, completely defeated. 

"I've no right to be called by that name."

Basch approached him, offering him a kind hand. "Then live. And reclaim it." Gabranth said nothing, but he ended up accepting his twin’s help. Balthier merely observed along with the rest of the party as their captain moved the wounded judge to the corner of the lift and made sure he was well supported by it, knowing they had no time to reconcile now. Vayne called. They did exchange very few words and then the Dalmascan-serving soldier returned to their party, signaling Vaan to operate the controls as he had previously tried to do.

They were once again moving – and reached Vayne sooner than expected. Ashe seemed pale, but strong of her intentions. The sight of Larsa was also welcomed, and especially surprising when it became clear that the current Emperor would not grant any kind of truce, turning into the target of Larsa’s own blade. 

They fought bravely, but Vayne was not without secret tricks. They should have suspected that, just as Cid had done, he too would be handling manufacted nethicite. The moment Larsa sought to go to his fallen brother, an invisible force field hit the boy, striking his down and making Penelo scream.

Slowly, Vayne became something else, infused with the ungodly power granted by the nethicite, and conjuring blades made of pure mist. They were so entranced by that terrifying spectacle that no one ever saw Gabranth coming, despite his uncertain steps and the noise of his armor. The judge magister was able to hit Vayne, his blade going right through his former lord – but one of the magic swords created by the monster the emperor had turned into hit him back, breaking his helmet and throwing him several feet away.

Basch immediately ran up to him. Balthier could not help but stare, and realized that there was now blood on Gabranth’s hands, his palms pressing a terrible wound on his chest. He seemed oddly calm when his twin arrived, eyeing him softly and muttering something that the sky pirate never heard. Vayne, however, screamed and attacked them once more, sending a group of enchanted blades towards them and making Balthier’s breath stop.

Basch was as much as a target as Gabranth was. The sky pirate reached out, a protective spell dying on his lips before he could do anything – but Larsa, little Lord Larsa of all people, was the one to stop the attack with another nethicite shard. Mission accomplished, he too fell, exhausted, and Penelo quickly ran to the lording. 

Balthier looked at Basch, and saw resignation in his blue eyes. He knew what was coming and he had made peace with it. Satisfied, the sky pirate nodded to him and then ran away with Vaan, in pursuit of Vayne with the rest of the group. The captain remained for a while, hand in hand with Gabranth, the free fingers caressing his face free of any scars. 

"Basch, tell me. Is he a good master?"

"Aye."

“Will you find in yourself the strength to... Protect him as you did with your queen?”

“You’ll remain at his side, Noah. This is not the end.”

“So… Optmistic, Basch…” Gabranth chuckled, but that seemed to cause enough pain in order to silence him again. The wounded judged grasped for the hands of his twin, two sets of blue eyes locked onto each other, “I know my time here has ended, brother. Please promise me that… You will look after his lordship. I would entrust him to no one else’s care.”

“I promise.” He said, nodding firmly and applying only the tiniest pressure to the other man’s hands, as a sign of his devotion. He caressed the short but equally blonde hair and moved to stand up – he could not afford to leave his friends and queen alone in such a dire time, “Wait for me, brother. I waited too long for this moment to lose you so quickly.”

“You never… Lost me, Basch. I was the one who… Abandoned you in place of a simple hatred.” Gabranth’s eyes were clear and wise, almost as if a fever or some kind of disease had left him. Basch nodded, suppressing tears of his own. He planted a quick kiss to his brother’s forehead, murmuring an old greeting from Landis against his skin and leaving for their final battle with Vayne. When he returned, Gabranth no longer lived – but the smile on his face was proof enough of a peaceful death.


	10. Landis

For months after their battle aboard the Bahamut, Basch mourned that day as the day he had lost two of the people he had come to love the most: Noah and Balthier. The sky pirate, along with his partner, had saved the Bahamut from crashing on top of Rabanastre – but it seemed they had perished in the process.

The anguished screams from Ashe, demanding Balthier to escape from the failing ship, were shared by the captain. However, he kept his silence, pain overflowing from his heart but never taking the form of tears, even as he held his brother close, guarding his lifeless body until a proper burial could be done discreetly in Archades. 

He then assumed the role and the name of his late twin, with no further time for public mourning. Larsa was the only one who knew everything, and even in the middle of the chaos that followed Vayne’s death and the transition to the rule of the youngest Solidor, he always found a way to give Basch some free time to think and be himself. He could see why his brother had sacrificed himself for the boy. 

Time did not make things easier. It was hard to look at Archades without triggering memories from his first time there with the sky pirate, or even to receive a letter from Dalmasca, signed usually by Penelo, telling them of their adventures and progress in a restored kingdom. The two children were taking care of the Strahl, as Balthier had commanded, and even reading such missives brought back pain to the captain, which had stopped reading the letters delivered with a Dalmascan seal. 

One evening, however, Basch was summoned by Larsa. He said nothing and merely gave him a letter to read, perfectly aware that his guardian no longer liked to do so. He never protested, however, and started to read the words which told the young Solidor about the upcoming coronation of the princess he had so bravely fought for, and then about the missing airship, as well as the note that remained behind when they realized that Balthier was back. 

Three days later, Gabranth’s quarters were invaded by a slender, familiar figure. Truth to be told, Basch had avoided locking doors and windows, almost as if making an invitation to his former travelling companion – and when he returned from a long day of work to find the sky pirate semi-dressed, leaning on his desk in a very similar fashion as he did once in Balfonheim, he crushed the sky pirate so tightly in his arms that the younger man had to protest, worried about his bones. 

They made love that night, and again on the following day – in fact, they met in secrecy whenever they could. Basch was fairly convinced that Larsa knew everything, even if he had no idea how, but never spoke a word about it. All the other employees at the palace and his fellow judges seemed to ignore anything about him that could lead to a political scandal, and therefore he kept appearances well. 

One day, however, Basch requested a week off for personal purposes. Larsa allowed him and made no further inquiries after certifying himself that his guardian was feeling well. The boy was sweet and wise beyond his years, the blonde man thought, and that was the key difference between him and his late brother. He had great hopes for Larsa and told Balthier so when they boarded the Strahl, bound for a place he never thought he would see again. 

“So you are as entranced with our young Larsa as Gabranth once was. You are playing your part well, my friend.” 

“Balthier, you know what I mean.” Basch said with a smile, occupying the seat that was usually Fran’s when they travelled together. In times of peace, fortunately, his lack of experience with airships was not a problem and Balthier seemed perfectly capable of commanding it alone, “I am only glad to be able to do something good with my life.” 

“The ever honorable captain…” the sky pirate chuckled, eyes alert to their way ahead but his body was entirely relaxed. Piloting airships, particularly the Strahl, was something so natural to Balthier as his sarcasm. “I will require your assistance now, however. I have to admit I never flied to Landis before and the landscape is completely foreign to me.” 

“Go slower… And closer to the ground so I can see better… If we did our calculations right, we should be near now.” 

It was very hard for Basch to look down at the ruins below them, especially when he started to recognize some: the oldest shrine from his city, the distinctive shape of a governmental building, the castle where Landish nobility once lived before a peaceful transition to a republic. They eventually landed and protected themselves with heavy, warm clothing. It was winter and they were much closer to the north when compared to Archades. 

“Welcome to Güsselstein.” The blonde judge said quietly, setting foot on Landish ground after decades. The air was fresh and crisp, filled with memories for the older man. The old paths, stores, residential houses and all the constructions were still visible, although some of them barely stood anymore. Balthier could see that part of the destruction was from man-made sources: bombs and fire. Others, however, had suffered with the abandon and had been reclaimed by nature. 

“You were born here?” 

“No. I was born on another town further north called Schwuschenfeld. My mother was on holiday there when Noah and I decided it was time. We all lived in Güsselstein for most of the time, however.” 

Balthier laughed and that attracted Basch’s attention. He turned to the outlaw, a bit confused until he explained: “I doubt I can pronounce that.” 

“Schwuschenfeld?” 

“Landish sounds difficult. Were you taught the common tongue as well? Or did you learn it when you moved to Dalmasca?” 

“No, I learned both. We hardly had the opportunity to use it here, but I was thankful for that. Let us go Balthier, I do not wish to have you in bed afterwards due to a cold.” He smiled and started walking, not losing the mischievous smirk on the sky pirate’s face at the mention of a bed. They walked in silence, hands carefully hidden within their clothing – they had no reason to fear anything there. The town was deserted and very few animals roamed the cold place, so unused to human presence that they fled rather than facing the duo. 

Basch was silent, but obviously aware of his surroundings. Not once he turned at the wrong street and seemed to recognize a few buildings every now and then, despite Balthier being unable to understand the soft Landish he spoke to himself. They had landed on the outskirts of the town, where enough room for the Strahl could be found, and soon they reached what was likely a graveyard. 

The gates were gone – only a few single bars remained in their place, completely useless due to the climate and the absence of people to be kept away. Balthier trailed behind Basch, who now stopped often to brush snow away from inscriptions, looking for a particular name. He eventually found it, kneeling on the cold ground and cleaning the area around the grave, showing his companion the name on the gravestone. 

“’Marie fon Ronsenburg. Johannes fon Ronsenburg.’ Your parents, I presume ?” 

Basch nodded, while looking for something within the backpack he carried with him. “My mother actually survived the Archadian invasion. She moved back to Archades with Noah, since she was actually Archadian… But when she died, Noah returned to bury her here. He commissioned the stone and brought her body.” 

The outlaw seemed surprised at the level of detail being disclosed. He had no idea Basch was aware of what Gabranth did, and then realized he had only learned that now – his travelling companion had journals in his hand, as well as one golden locket which had the name of his brother engraved. 

“I never… Knew this, actually. But since I came back to Archades to become Gabranth, I read all his journals. He was a much better person than one could imagine and he took care of our mother until the end. But it is now time for him to rest… Alongside our parents.” 

With was with the help of Balthier, even though he felt his fingers freezing, that they managed to dig an adequate hole in the ground, near the gravestone. Basch placed the diaries and the locket on top of them, then covered everything with the cold dirt and offered a soft prayer in his mother language that sounded so mystic to the sky pirate’s ears. 

He instinctively reached out for the captain – and their cold, dirty hands intertwined as Basch kept praying. Balthier was never the sort to be religious or to rely on fate, carrying on his life as a leading man would do – but he lowered his head in a sign of respect and closed his eyes, not appealing to any god or supernatural being but rather to the universe. Basch had had his fair share of pain. 

“Thank you, Balthier.” 

“For what?” He replied, green eyes rising up to meet blue ones. He saw how they gleamed under the light of the winter sun, and realized that he had been crying softly, although in silence. Balthier raised one hand, brushing away the tears, then replacing that caress with a soft touch of his lips, “My word is my bond.” 

“I still… Doubt I’d have done this if not for the comfort of your presence.” 

“My dear Basch…” The way Balthier formed that sentence was endearing to the older man. It was so uncommon to hear him speak that way, stripped of all the sarcasm and the elaborate words he often used, “You knew I’d come if there was significant treasure for me.” 

“I’m afraid we just buried whatever treasure I had.” He chuckled softly, turning his body so they were face to face now. They were close enough to breathe into each other’s breath, and their words came out with blessed warm air to help keep the cold climate at bay. 

“On the contrary: I can now proclaim you a man free of the past. There is nothing more valuable than freedom, Basch.” And at the moment Balthier kissed him, Basch knew he had spoken the truth. 

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Everything about Landis is completely made up. I only went with the popular assumption that Landis would be similar to a German-speaking place, given the names of Basch/Noah.
> 
> And finally - thank you so much for reading! Hope everyone was enough in character in order to be believable and enjoyable. Feel free to drop a line in the comment box or to message me if you wish to talk about the fanfic or the pairing itself~!


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